Top five Justin Timberlake songs to listen to before the Super Bowl

Turn up the volume and get ready for this February

Fair use from RCA Records.

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Fair use from RCA Records.

Isaac Wahl

36-year-old vocalist, former member of NSYNC and hexa-platinum seller Justin Timberlake will take center stage at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. To prepare for Timberlake’s big show, here are five of his songs to check out:

#5 “Sexyback”:

The 2006 hit “Sexyback.” While the song isn’t his best lyrically, Timberlake’s “Sexyback” has a fun beat and is incredibly catchy. “Sexyback” heavily uses early 2000s synthesizers and Timberlake continues his reign as a 90s heartthrob with his whispered, intimate vocals.

#4 “Not A Bad Thing”:

From Timberlake’s most recent album, “The 20/20 Experience,” “Not A Bad Thing,” was in the top ten Billboard 100. The song starts out with a simple guitar chord progression and slowly adds more modern influences including a prominent bass and techno drums. This catchy song shows a different side of Timberlake compared to his boy-band hits.

#3 “TKO”:

“TKO” reminds me of a classic Usher song, with powerful vocals and a hooking chorus that lodges in the listener’s head for days. “TKO” infuses a late 90s influence into typical popular music tropes from 2013, crafting a captivating hybrid. Timberlake’s clever lyrics over the storming beat would undeniably hype a stadium crowd.

#2 “Cry Me A River”:

“Cry Me A River” pairs Timberlake’s classic boy-band vocals with a funky hip-hop beat from Pharrell. While this song does recall NSYNC’s sound, it comes from Timberlake’s debut solo album. The song uses an interesting sounding acapela like orchestra to imitate beats and other instruments throughout the song which adds a uniqueness to the song.

#1 “Can’t Stop The Feeling”

The top song you need to listen to before Timberlake’s Super Bowl performance is undeniably “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” This song was not only Timberlake’s most recent hit, but also topped the Hot 100 last year. This song’s pop energy and summer vibe underscored pool parties, barbeques and dance parties. “Can’t Stop The Feeling” will no doubt be performed, and its bursting energy will undoubtedly ignite the stadium. This song reminds me of the smash hit “Happy” by Pharrell William, but with a catchier flow and overall more pleasing voice to hear.